Final document in EnglishHave you ever had a crime committed against you? In today's society we have to deal with crime around us. There are crimes committed out of anger, revenge, jealousy, love, greed, etc; but there is another type of crime, or you could say act of violence, called hate crimes. Have you ever thought that maybe that crime was committed against you just because of your racial background or your religious beliefs? Throughout the history of this country, hate crimes have occurred, both by known hate groups and, more commonly, by hate-motivated individuals. Only recently did the people of this country want to pass a law that would punish the guilty even more because the crime was committed out of hate. There are two sides to every question. Whether or not the issue is valid or whether it is an unrealistic concept created by the media or the federal government, then, in my opinion, passing such a law is completely unrealistic. It is almost impossible to prove that a crime was committed out of prejudicial hatred. I believe that a law punishing hate crimes should not be passed. The main question that would be asked is: “Prove it?” Just saying this, in some cases, destroys the effectiveness of the law, especially if and when the crime is committed when both parties share the same sexual, ethnic or religious background. Now, I think the money-grubbing lawyers and media would appreciate this new law because, for one thing, the prosecuting attorneys, in many cases, would use it against the defendant, especially if it were a white-on-black case, or of vice. vice versa. The media would emphasize racial discrimination only because the general public, especially minorities, love controversy that might make them sympathetic. Also, I think this law would take up more court time. If you think about it, there would be more cases popping up everywhere and also any case that would elicit the word, hate, would probably get thrown in there too, which would drag the case out even longer. Maybe not so much in criminal cases, but more so in civil cases. Look how "happy" the audience is now. This law would just add to that. For example, people sue neighbors because their pets go to the bathroom on the lawn. How ridiculous is that? Another example is a lady putting a dog in the microwave here t...... middle of paper......t "hate rape" or "hate murder". You should be punished for the actual crime, not for the feelings that accompany it. Now, even if this law were passed, would the police and courts enforce it? If they didn't, what would be the point of approving it to begin with. I guess the same could be said about any law, but in my eyes I could see our “system” turning everything upside down. They would probably convict innocent people of “hate crimes” and let those guilty of “hate” go. I don't think it's right to add another category to the list of crimes that could, in the long term, ruin some people's lives. I just think it's wrong. I hope you understand my point of view and agree with my opinion. Bibliography Jacobs, James. Hate crimes. Challenging intolerance 14 November 2000 >http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=PA0212H- s57549sl&type=ART&artno=…Grigera, Elena. Hate crimes. Corrections Today14 November 2000 >http://sks.sirs.com/cgi-bin/hst-article-display?id=PA0212H-s57520sl&type=Art&artno=Walker, Samuel. Hate speech. The story of an American controversy